Phytochemical screening of fifteen secondary metabolites and neuropharmacological activity including cytotoxic, analgesic and anxiolytic or CNS depressant properties of Acampe papillosa (Lindl.) Lindl, an epiphytic medicinally important orchid species have been conducted to evaluate the medicinal potentiality for neurological activity. Secondary metabolites profiling include alkaloids, anthroquinone, coumarin, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, fixed oils, fats and phenols, glycosides, phlobatannins, protein, quinine, saponins, steroids, tannins and terpenoids were assessed where 99% tests gave positive result. As part of neuropharmacological study, cytotoxic potentiality was evaluated following brine shrimp lethality bioassay and 100% lethality was observed in 200 µg/ml concentration of leaf, stem and root. The LC50 value of leaf, stem and root extracts were correspondingly 45.40 µg/ml, 32.74 µg/ml and 18.82 µg/ml. Analgesic property of root showed the highest inhibition (59.02%) in 400 mg/kg dose where standard caused 84.63% reduction of writhing movement. The one way ANOVA indicates that there has a significant difference between the treatments. CNS depressant activity of leaf exhibited the highest number (35±2.89) of head dipping in 400 mg/kg dose where the lowest (26.67±1.33) was in 200 mg/kg dose of root. The findings support that this orchid species can be a important source of new drug improvement for neurological disorders.

Keywords: Acampe papillosa, Phytochemical screening, Neuropharmacological assays